The LHS advanced theatre put on their first play of the year — The Little Mermaid — on opening night Oct. 6. They had been preparing for the play since last year.

“Auditions took place in May and lasted a week,” senior Melanie Burbey said. “They consisted of singing a song and doing small scenes with other characters.”

Many people claimed they were nervous about auditioning, but after going through the process they realized it was not as stressful as they thought.

“The audition process for mermaid was actually very simple,” senior Mackenzie McLendon said. “We signed up for time slots and came into the theatre room and sang our song for Peterson. Later in the week we were able to perform scenes from the show with other people auditioning.”

They held practices three times a week from 6pm-8pm. Many of the students participating in this play also participate in other school activities, so they had to wait until later in the day to make sure everyone could make the practices.

“We practiced on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, though we also practiced in class and sometimes even on the weekends,” freshman Cobie Chandler said. “Practice was really fun. We treat each other like family and were able to act goofy 24/7.”

Not only were the students held responsible for attending  the practices, but also for attending the class period to memorize their scenes and lines — a necessity to be prepared for opening night.

“It was such an amazing opportunity,” freshman Juliana Dwamena said. “I am so glad I got to be a part of such a fantastic production.”

Many audience members claimed they were truly impressed with the students’ performance. They had many people in the crowd on their feet throughout the play.

“Our opening night was a huge success,” Senior Amy Figurski said.  “We were all so pumped and singing at the top of our lungs, even having a great time backstage. I know I am going to miss this group and all the memories tons more than I can describe.”